Patience!
09/11/25 10:26
I was about to give up and throw it away. I had read that an avocado seed could take from 2 weeks to 2 months to "sprout." For me, I lost count of the days and weeks. Patience! God has His timing for everything! A lot of days and weeks are like that: just waiting and waiting. My mother would wait for days and weeks for just one bud and flower on her hibiscus tree. She helped me to appreciate waiting and being patient. We have folks living with us, others are neighbors and friends. I would like to see many things change and progress in their lives, but I have to be patient. God knows what He's doing. Psalm 27:13-14
International missions!
02/11/25 19:55
Segundo Puculpala called me today from New York. He recently sent me the first photo of him in Mexico. (How he crossed the border twice is a mystery for me.) In the second photo he visited us just before he migrated (illegally) to the US (about four years ago). In the bottom photo he's leading a VBS in his community "Santa Julia" deep in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador (around 2019). So we've known each other for many years. His call today gave me hope. He stills wants to do mission work in Ecuador. After graduation in the US from seminary he says he's coming back to his home here. I pray so. We talked for half an hour about his vision to evangelize Quichua communities where he's from that have no evangelical witness. We don't travel anymore, but we offered our home in Quito as a missionary training base. I'm glad his heart is still for the Lord. We hope to continue to work with him, connecting New York with Santa Julia.
On the Homefront
27/10/25 14:35
With Faby's mental health declining, our house remains the center of our present ministry. The Tuesday night meeting continues to furnish fellowship and Bible study to a small but steady group. We have visitors drop in and who enjoy games and puzzles at the living room table. And Pedro has come by twice to make more bracelets to sell. We have two family units who live in our other house, plus a nephew in a small apartment out back. That's a summary of our Homefront.
Lasting relations
20/10/25 12:42
"I have to give the sermon tomorrow and don't know what to say. Can you help me?" I haven't seen Manuel Lema for 5 years! But he still remembers me when I taught a Bible course in Capulispungo. In the photo we traveled to his community in the mountains to give him his graduation certificate. That was our last visit to the communities before the Pandemia Lock-down in March 2020. Now, years later, he calls me for a sermon outline. As I remember, his Spanish isn't that good (His native language is Quichua.), he can barely read and write, but he was one of the most faithful students for years, sometimes hiking from the highway (10,000 ft) to Capulispungo (12,000 ft), when he couldn't find transportation. But I'm sure in his context, and in his language, with a few verses I sent him, his sermon will meet the needs of his congregation.
Horse Therapy
12/10/25 18:41
Faby dreams of owning a horse, which, of course, is just about impossible for us. My solution is to find a ranch that hosts horse rides. We tried two places this week. The first is more for day trips, but the second (in the photos) lets you ride around the soccer field for no extra cost. Once you're used to riding, they have longer rides for which you pay an extra fee. Faby held on for about ten minutes. They let me wander around the field for almost a half hour! I'm praying that Faby will be satisfied with visiting the ranch and stop longing to buy a horse.
